Stillness Speaks Series, Part 1

I recently read Eckhart Tolle's follow up to The Power of Now, entitled Stillness Speaks. Written in short, sutra-like capsules, this pocket-sized volume is so simple yet so profound. For me, it was a great companion to a struggling meditation practice and a huge assistance in conquering a serious bout of depression. I highly recommend picking up a copy at your local bookstore or library. I have pulled out several choice excerpts which I will share with you over the span of the next few weeks, starting now.

"Nothing that comes and goes is you (boredom, anger, sadness, fear). You are the knowing, not the condition that is known."
This is a beautiful thing to realize. When I am in the depths of depression, it's nearly impossible to remember that there are any other feelings but listlessness, confusion, despair. I look back at snapshots from happier times and see myself as a completely different person. I cannot identify with joy or even mediocrity. Yoga and meditation practice help tremendously. I notice my thoughts, I turn inward and notice how I feel at each sitting. The depressed individual can find a million reasons why lying around, worrying or moping is superior to sitting in meditation or doing hatha yoga poses. My thoughts are scary. I can't control them. I can't concentrate, I'd think. But on good days and bad, whether I'm bouncing or dragging myself to my mat, meditation and stillness are the doorway to serenity, self-esteem and acceptance of the present moment.

"Knowing yourself as the awareness beyond the voice is Freedom."
Tolle talks a lot about connecting with stillness and realizing that we are much more than our personalities in this life. Yes, of course, we have day-to-day tasks to achieve and long-term goals and responsibilities for ourselves, our families, our pets, our communities. But transcending the ups and downs, the dramas of life, can happen in a split-second, simply by taking a deep breath, reveling in consciousness as members of the human race with a little seed of the Divine in us all.

"Surrender comes when you no longer ask, 'Why is this happening to me?' "
We all do it from time to time: take a starring role in the movie of life as The Victim. It's an ego trick that's easy to fall for, especially when multiple things seem to be going "wrong" all at once. It's exacerbated by comparing yourself to others -- friends, acquaintances, strangers, the rich and famous -- who all seem to have everything handed to them on a silver platter. It's the biggest relief to drop all that, those useless comparisons, irrational worries, vicious self-talk cycles. Instead of why is this happening to me, ask, "How is this perfect for me in this moment?" Sometimes it isn't possible to see for a while, but with practice, hindsight and understanding quickly come along with much greater immediacy.

"Whatever you accept completely will take you to peace, including the acceptance that you cannot accept, that you are in resistance."
To me, this is the single most helpful concept for handling change, dealing with anxiety and depression, grieving and the like. I often wonder, when in the midst of big life changes, why I'm not better at dealing with them. I mean, I'm in my mid-twenties, reasonably intelligent and responsible, fun-loving and easy going. Why on earth does change knock me over? When oh when am I going to learn how to flow with change, which I know is inevitable. We humans are creatures of habit and we all attached to our routines and loved ones and prized possessions. So when tough changes occur, that seem undesirable or even impossible to handle, the number one thing to do is recognize and embrace your resistance. It's okay that I'm feeling resistance. It's natural. This too shall pass but in the meantime, I'm not going to resist my resistance. That would just be plain silly.

Until next time, have a wonderful day of mindfulness & ease. Namaste~